Wenhaston is a village situated to the south of the River Blyth in northeastern

Suffolk Suffolk () is a ceremonial county of England in East Anglia. It borders Norfolk to the north, Cambridgeshire to the west and Essex to the south; the North Sea lies to the east. The county town is Ipswich; other important towns include Lowes ...

, England. In 2018 it had an estimated population of 563.

History

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

coins, pottery and building materials unearthed in local fields indicate the existence of a settlement at Wenhaston from the first century AD, and indeed this was probably a market of some importance between 80 and 350 AD. The first written record of its existence is to be found in the

Domesday Book Domesday Book () – the Middle English spelling of "Doomsday Book" – is a manuscript record of the "Great Survey" of much of England and parts of Wales completed in 1086 by order of King William I, known as William the Conqueror. The manusc ...

of 1086, when it was noted that the village of ''Wenadestuna'' possessed a mill, a church and woodland sufficient to feed 16 hogs. The place-name ''Wenhaston'' means 'Wynhaeth's town'.

Eilert Ekwall Bror Oscar Eilert Ekwall (born 8 January 1877 in Vallsjö (now in Sävsjö, Jönköpings län), Sweden, died 23 November 1964 in Lund, Skåne län, Sweden), known as Eilert Ekwall, was Professor of English at Sweden's Lund University from 1909 to ...

, ''The Concise Oxford Dictionary of English Place-names'', p.506. Wenhaston Last Judgement

The village's greatest historical treasure is undoubtedly the Wenhaston

Doom Doom is another name for damnation. Doom may also refer to: People * Doom (professional wrestling), the tag team of Ron Simmons and Butch Reed * Daniel Doom (born 1934), Belgian cyclist * Debbie Doom (born 1963), American softball pitcher * L ...

, a sixteenth-century (pre-

Reformation The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...

) panel painting depicting the

Last Judgement The Last Judgment, Final Judgment, Day of Reckoning, Day of Judgment, Judgment Day, Doomsday, Day of Resurrection or The Day of the Lord (; ar, یوم القيامة, translit=Yawm al-Qiyāmah or ar, یوم الدین, translit=Yawm ad-Dīn, ...

. This rare work of art was discovered during restoration work in 1892, hidden under whitewash on the wooden tympanum taken down from above the chancel arch. Today, the local community and economy of Wenhaston continues to benefit from its proximity to the Suffolk Heritage Coast and the flourishing resort town of

Southwold Southwold is a seaside town and civil parish on the English North Sea coast in the East Suffolk district of Suffolk. It lies at the mouth of the River Blyth within the Suffolk Coast and Heaths Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty. The town is a ...

. Wenhaston won the

Suffolk Coastal Suffolk Coastal was a local government district in Suffolk, England. Its council was based in Melton, having moved from neighbouring Woodbridge in 2017. Other towns include Felixstowe, Framlingham, Leiston, Aldeburgh, and Saxmundham. The ...

Village of the Year 2004 competition, and came second in the Suffolk County competition.

Economy

There is a thriving pig farm industry in the fields between Wenhaston and

Blythburgh Blythburgh is a village and civil parish in the East Suffolk district of the English county of Suffolk. It is west of Southwold and south-east of Halesworth and lies on the River Blyth. The A12 road runs through the village which is split e ...

Geography

Wenhaston is closely adjoined by the village of Blackheath, which has for years been considered a part of Wenhaston, bringing the population up to 1000 or more. Blythburgh village is around 2 miles from Wenhaston and around a 10- to 15-minute bicycle ride from Wenhaston. With Mells it forms the

civil parish In England, a civil parish is a type of administrative parish used for local government. It is a territorial designation which is the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties, or their combined form, the unitary authority ...

Wenhaston with Mells Hamlet Wenhaston with Mells Hamlet is a civil parish in the English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for ...

Transport

Wenhaston had a

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

on the

Southwold Railway The Southwold Railway was a narrow gauge railway line between Halesworth and Southwold in the English county of Suffolk. long, it was narrow gauge. It opened in 1879 and closed in 1929. Intermediate stations were at Wenhaston, Blythburgh ...

but this closed, with the rest of the line, on 11 April 1929. Wenhaston has been connected to Halesworth and Southwold by bus services in the past years with routes being traced to eastern counties omnibus. Presently in 2022 the First Bus 99A serves Wenhaston all year around.

References

External links

Villages in Suffolk Suffolk Coastal {{Suffolk-geo-stub